


A Remedy for Too Many Dreams

by OhNoMyBreadsticks



Series: Bready Fills Prompts [18]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkwardness, Connor is a Mess (Detroit: Become Human), Dreams, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Human/Monster Romance, M/M, Monsters, Spooky, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 20:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30010563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhNoMyBreadsticks/pseuds/OhNoMyBreadsticks
Summary: Connor would probably be the first to admit that he and his life are kind of a mess. The last thing he needs is for his hot new neighbor to realize that fact.Well, scratch that. The last thing he needs is for things in his life to get any more messy and strange, but it seems like that'sexactlywhat's about to happen.
Relationships: Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900
Series: Bready Fills Prompts [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1411321
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	A Remedy for Too Many Dreams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ausp_ice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ausp_ice/gifts).



> This is a prompt fill for Auspice, who was kind enough to ask for a human/monster romance, which I absolutely love to write ;D This is also the very first time for me writing RK1700, so this was double fun as a challenge! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this little somewhat spooky romance C:

The first time Connor sees his new neighbor, he’s heading out of his apartment to make it to work. Or rather, make it to the bus so that he can just barely make it to work on time. It’s a familiar schedule for Connor, given the fact that he regularly sleeps through his alarm. The apartment next to his has been empty for a few weeks now, so there’s not even the bustle of other people to help jarr him out of his slumber. He’s a very heavy sleeper, but the noise always helps somewhat. Or at least, that absence is what he’s trying to blame his latest spate of late arrivals on. He needs some kind of excuse, one that’s not ‘I hate my job so I just can’t bring myself to get up in the morning’.

Today though, when Connor hurries out of his apartment, there’s movement in the hallway, and the door next to his is propped open with a chair. He’s about to ask what’s going on, when a man comes around the corner carrying several boxes, and suddenly Connor’s mind goes blank. Fuck, as if the handsome face and steel blue eyes weren’t enough, this guy is carrying these boxes like they weigh nothing. He has to focus hard not to actually blurt out something super embarrassing or horny - his early morning brain isn’t the best at actually regulating what comes out of his mouth.

Instead, Connor just waves and chirps “New neighbor!” like a moron. The handsome man tilts his head and looks at him with one eyebrow quirked up in curiosity. Connor wants to sink into the ground and die, but unfortunately that would make him miss his bus, so he has to just scurry past his new neighbor with a mumbled apology and a promise to himself to come back and properly introduce himself when he’s done with work. 

As Connor sprints out of the building, he doesn’t catch the way his neighbor pivots to watch him go, a hint of a smile curling up the edge of his mouth. 

* * *

Unfortunately (or fortunately) Connor doesn’t manage to introduce himself to his new neighbor when he returns from work. He’s so fucking exhausted that it’s all he can do to feed himself before he falls asleep on the sofa. Morning comes with the blare of his third alarm, and Connor jerks awake, wiping drool off the corner of his mouth with a curse. He feels strangely more rested than he has in the past few weeks, but maybe that’s because he can hear shuffling from the other side of the wall this morning. His theory  _ had _ been correct! He isn’t a lazy ass, just missing having a neighbor.

Well-rested or not, Connor still slept in his clothes, so it’s a mad scramble to get changed and force his hair to lay flat before he has to run out of the apartment. He doesn’t even have a chance to grab breakfast, promising himself he’ll grab something on the way from the bus stop to the office (a lie). In fact, he’s in such a rush that before he can stop himself, he’s pulled the door shut and left his keys on the kitchen counter. Fuck.

Connor actually whines, the desperation and panic of the situation hitting him in full force. He has a choice now - be late to work and have to call the superintendent to get his keys back, facing a screaming lecture from his boss, or forget the keys and face a screaming lecture from the superintendent when he has to call them late at night when he gets back. Neither option is good, and Connor can actually feel himself start to sweat. It’s not a pleasant feeling, that’s for damn sure. He’s dithering, hands going between the immovable door handle and the pocket where his phone sits, when the door next to him opens and his new neighbor steps out. 

Unfairly, he looks just as perfectly handsome as yesterday. Connor looks up (yes up, he’s ever-so-slightly taller than Connor, which is another feat to add to his list) and opens his mouth to say something, anything, but can’t quite manage it.

“New neighbor?” The man asks, and it takes Connor a minute to realize he’s teasing. He lets out a weak chuckle and finally sticks out his hand to shake.

“Yeah, shit, that’s me. I am so sorry we keep meeting like this.” Connor babbles, “I’m Connor, and yes, I’m your new neighbor.” The hand that grips his is strong and slender, the skin smooth and strangely chilled. Ah well, some people just have cold hands, he supposes. 

“It’s a pleasure.” The man replies, “You can call me Niles.” The ‘l’ and ‘s’ sounds of his name blend together, a sound almost like rain sliding down a windowpane. Connor is sure he’ll never be able to pronounce it properly, so he really hopes Niles doesn’t mind. Not like he can embarrass himself  _ much _ further at this point.

“It’s great to meet you too Niles.” Connor manages to say, “And I uh, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve locked myself out. I have to call the superintendent but I’m going to be late to work and…” He trails off miserably, finally just resigning himself to his fate and pulling his phone out. 

“Mind if I take a look?” Niles asks, and Connor doesn’t see why he should refuse, so he steps back to admire the broad spread of the other man’s back as he sets a hand on the handle of the door and jiggles it lightly. There’s a hint of something at the edge of his vision, but by the time he shifts his focus to look at it there’s nothing to see except the way Niles is pushing open the very much unlocked door of his apartment. 

“Wha?” Connors says dumbly, his mouth hanging open like some kind of idiot fish. There must be some kind of fish that’s called an idiot fish. The ocean is very large, after all. Niles just reaches in and plucks Connor’s keys off his counter, holding them out with a smile plastered across his face. 

“Not locked, just a little stuck.” He says, and Connor reaches out to let the keys fall into his open palm, eyes tracing the curve of that smile. It’s beautiful, like everything else about Niles, but the hairs on the back of his neck are standing up for some reason. Must be the embarrassment. He writes it off and forces himself back to reality - the reality in which he’s going to be late for work if he doesn’t run very fast very very soon. 

Connor babbles out a “Thank you so much! I’ve gotta go!” as he books it down the hallway, waving as he goes. Niles doesn’t wave back until he’s out of sight, head tilting as he mimics the motion. 

* * *

For the next few weeks, the two neighbors manage to avoid having any more awkward run-ins. Connor misses seeing Niles, but at the same time he’s relieved that he hasn’t had a chance to make things any worse between them. It figures, the one time he gets a hot neighbor and is actually single, he manages to make himself look like the least desirable person on earth. No wonder Niles hasn’t tried to make any more contact with him. Connor can hear him shuffling around next door, so it’s not like he’s moved out already. He’s not  _ that _ bad of a neighbor to have driven him away like that.

Strangely, he hears a lot of shuffling from Niles’ apartment, for it being just the one man living there. Not any sex noises, thankfully, just...quiet pattering, like feet pacing back and forth, and the swish of things being moved around. They’re not like any noises Connor has ever heard before, but they’re not necessarily bad noises. It’s just that he can’t picture what Niles could be doing to make them. Not that he spends time thinking about what his neighbor is doing alone in his apartment, no sir. Definitely no impure thoughts like that from good ol’ Connor here.

It’s just that he has a lot more energy and time at night lately after he gets home from work, so he doesn’t just fall asleep on the sofa with his ramen noodle cup clutched in his hands. He has time to sit and think about things like what his neighbor is doing. At first it’s just a strange lucky occurrence, but as the days pass and his energy levels continue to rise, Connor has to try and figure out the reason behind it. It’s not like his work has gotten any easier, or his hours any shorter. The answer hits him one night, as he’s laying down in bed, and it’s the strangest thing he’s ever had to consider.

For the last few weeks, Connor hasn’t been dreaming.

Not a single dream, good or bad. Usually, when he wakes, he’s in the middle of some imagined scenario, the thought of it lingering as he rushes out the door. But now, when he finally wracks his brain, there’s nothing. Just blank, dreamless sleep. It’s unnerving to consider, although Connor is sure it’s a normal reality for lots of people. The sudden absence though, that’s the strange part. Even though it’s not necessarily been bad for him, he’s still worried. And then there’s the timing. He shakes his head. It can’t possibly have to do with his neighbor. 

He can’t get the thought out of his head though, and after he wakes up the next morning, rested but still dreamless, he decides he’s going to try and get to the bottom of this mystery.

* * *

The plan Connor eventually comes up with is barely a plan, but he still feels oddly proud of himself as he returns home with his bag full of energy drinks. If there’s something stealing his dreams, he’s going to catch it in the act. He’s in such a good mood that he even manages a normal wave to Niles as he spots the other man approaching from down the hall. They exchange pleasantries, and Niles doesn’t even ask about the bag. Oh well, Connor supposes that’s for the best. Would have been odd to explain. They part ways and Connor gets down to business making sure that he is absolutely not going to fall asleep tonight.

As he lays in bed hours later, eyes closed but mind racing, he finds himself thinking about how stupid of an idea this really is. What does he expect, for some kind of monster to materialize and try to slurp at his head or something? Really, all he’s done here is sabotage himself and ruin tomorrow, because at this rate he’s going to be sleep deprived  _ and  _ have an energy drink hangover. Great plan.

Just as Connor’s about to get up and try and drink some warm milk or something to counteract the energy drinks, he hears a strange scratching from the other side of his bedroom wall. It butts right up against Niles’ apartment, and without thinking Connor strains his ear towards the sound, trying to hear more. Maybe he can fall asleep after all, if he’s lulled by the sounds of his neighbor’s gorgeous voice. 

Instead, the scratching seems to move, down through the wall and then...under his bed. Okay, sound travels weird, so he must be imagining things. When Connor opens his eyes a crack and sees the shadows stretching out from under his bed start to move and twist, he  _ knows _ he’s imagining things. Because there’s no fucking way this is real. Absolutely not. 

In real life, shadows don’t move on their own. They down scuttle across the floor and pile together and grow and grow and -

Standing there, at the foot of his bed, is a shape. It is large but also not large, flat but infinitely layered. The edges of it are moving, but not in any way that Connor can comprehend except for as blurs in the corners of his eyes. It seems to draw itself up and then sag back down, a sigh like the whistle of wind through long-empty rooms escaping. 

“You were waiting for me.” 

It’s like the words take forever to reach Connor’s brain through his ears. But it’s unmistakably familiar, and he blurts out Niles’ name before he can stop himself.

“Observant. I knew you were a clever one.” Niles says, and Connor shouldn’t be flattered but he is. He doesn’t quite know where to look though, since the shape is just a shape, and doesn’t exactly have any recognizable features. It must be obvious, because with another sigh the brilliant blue eyes of Niles open near the top of the shadow, and blink curiously at Connor. They aren’t quite the right shape for human eyes, but he’s always found the color so terribly pretty that he can’t be that put off by them. 

“So. Uh. Do you...my dreams?” Connor offers, in the world’s worst string of words. He actually smacks himself on the forehead for that, and tries again. A sound like a chuckle, all creaks and crackles like dead wood, escapes from Niles at the foot of his bed.

“Are you the one who’s been making sure I don’t have any dreams?” Connor asks, and the shape twists, nodding his whole body in confirmation. 

“I suppose I should thank you then. I’ve been sleeping better than I ever have before. Even though it was a bit weird to suddenly realize” He continues, and that has Niles pausing, clearly not having anticipated that attitude. He leans in, as if he’s inspecting Connor for any sense of falsehood, then draws back. Two long thin shadows break off from the main shape, crossing in front of him like arms.

“You’re not frightened. How strange. You probably should be.” Niles says, and in this form the ends of all his words melt and twist together, not just the last two sounds in his name. Something about not having a mouth must make forming human words difficult. 

Connor shrugs. “Look, you haven’t hurt me yet.” He explains, “And you’re nice, when we meet during the day.” He pointedly doesn’t mention how he has a big fat crush. That doesn’t seem appropriate right now. A sudden fear strikes him, and he meets Niles’ gaze with a bit of panic in his own eyes.

“You aren’t going to leave now that I’ve seen you, are you?”

The chuckling sound is back, rising into a full blown laugh as the shape at the foot of the bed shakes and twists with mirth. Niles moves, oozing across the floor with ease, to rise up and loom over Connor directly.

“No, I don’t think I shall. I would very much like to get to know you better, instead.” He says, and Connor’s face breaks out into a relieved smile. He’s pretty sure ‘meeting at night, when one of you is in pajamas and the other one of you is a big shadow monster’ counts as the most awkward encounter ever, so there’s nowhere to go but up.

Connor has a feeling he’s going to quite enjoy getting to know his new neighbor properly.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Can you tell I like shadow monsters maybe a bit too much? XD I had a lot of fun with Niles' character, and probably could have written a lot more buildup to that final meeting, but wanted to actually finish the story so I could share it lol. 
> 
> Also just for clarity - I imagine that Niles is actually eating Connor's dreams, and at first intended for their relationship to be entirely parasitic. Now, of course, he's much more interested in something a bit more mutually beneficial ;)
> 
> Any and all kudos or comments at any time will be loved and cherished, although never required <3 I reply to all my comments, even if it takes me a few days! I'm available on [tumblr](https://ohnomybreadsticks.tumblr.com/) if you ever feel like chatting or reading some of my lil drabbles, I’d love to see you there C:


End file.
